Night Watch: CAIRO – The leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood organization Mohammad Mahdi Akef, was quoted today in the independent daily al-Masri al-Yom, that they had 10,000 volunteers “trained and equipped to fight side by side with the Hezbollah guerillas.” The Muslim Brotherhood has organized several anti-Israel demonstrations and on Tuesday Parliamentarians who support the orgainzation will demonstrate in front of the Presidential Abdeen Palace, where Hosni Mubarak has his offices, and demand Egypt no longer remain a part of the 1978 Camp David agreement which established peace between Egypt and Israel. [AKI]

But Abdel Rahim Ali, columnist for the pro-government paper al-Ahram, does not believe the real intention of the Muslim Brotherhood is to send 10,000 combat trained members to Lebanon. He observed, “Ten thousand men can’t be trained in a few weeks. If these numbers are confirmed, it would mean that the Muslim Brotherhood is trying to create a state within a state in Egypt and that the principal aim of such a militia would be to deploy here at home rather than in Lebanon.”

His suspicions are well-grounded. That state within a state may have already been created and with state sponsorship from Tehran-Riyadh who want to use the Muslim Brotherhood to remove the embarrassment represented by President Hosni Mubarak, head of one of the Muslim world’s most important countries and who refuses to support the Jihad in any way. Tehran-Riyadh and other Islamic capitals are waiting in the wings to recognize the new resident of Abdeen Palace. Not to mention the Iranian units waiting at the military base outside Khartoum that will be sent in support. The new resident of Abdeen will probably be one of the Parliamentarians demonstrating Tuesday.

Questions are being answered and not just in Egypt. This is why I have stated constantly that this war against Israel will have more impact in Egypt than in Israel.

Willard Payne is an international affairs analyst who specializes in International Relations. A graduate of Western Illinois University with a concentration in East-West Trade and East-West Industrial Cooperation, he has been providing incisive analysis to NewsBlaze. He is the author of Imagery: The Day Before.